Improvement in marine signals



T. H. DODGE.

(Signat Light. No. 9.384.v f Patented Nov. 9,1862.

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UNITED .STATES Partnr rrrcn.

IMPROVEMENT IN MARINE SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 9,3134@ dated November9, i852.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. DODGE, of Nashua, in the county ofHillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Night Signal-Lights for Vessels at Sea and forother Purposes; and l do hereby declare the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being` had to the accom--panying drawings, forming part of this speciication, in which- Figure lis a perspective View of one of my improved signals. Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan or top viewof the compass, pulley, and cords for raising and lowering the lamp.

The same letters of reference in each of the several Iigures indicatecorresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists in a hollow pyrainidal-shaped boxhaving a number of different-colored indicating-glass windows on all ofits sides from the top to the base, and also having a lamp with suitablereflectors placed within the same, which is made to move up and down ona pedestal in the hollow pyramidal-shapedbox when it is desired tochange the color of the signal by means of a horizontal pulley and acord, which is passed round the same and has its ends secured fast tothe Ytop and bottom of the pedestal in such a manner that when thepulley is turned in one direction the pedestal will be elevated and whenmoved in the contrary direction the lamp will be lowered. The topsurface of the said pulley may have the courses E, WV, N, S, 85e.,marked out on it, so

that when it is desired to bring the lamp directly opposite the redsignals at the top, which mayindicate nortln the operator will knowexactly how far to turn the pulley to elevate the lamp to the desiredposition, for it will be seen that the operator in this case has only tomove the pulley round until the letter N points opposite to north or anyother set point, and thereby bring the lamp directly opposite the redsignals on all the sides of the box, the light from which will bereflected on the red windows by suitable reflectors, thereby indicatingto vessels at a distance and in different locations that her course isnorth. If the course of the vessel should be northeast, the pulleyT mustin like manner, as

I before, be turned until the letters N E occupy the position vacated byN. rlhis will bring the lamp opposite the mixed-colored glass windows,yellow and red, the light in like manner, as before, being reflected onthe yellow and red glasses on all the sides oi' the box. The fact thatthe vessel is moving in a northeast course will be made known to vesselsat a distance, no matter what may be their position,and consequentlyrunning into or coming in contact with each other when it is very darkwill be very effectually prevented.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to dcscribe its construction and operation.

A represents the base ot' the signalbox, and B is the hollow pyramidicalor other suitable shaped signal-box.

O C O C represent a number of colored glass lights arranged on all sidesof the box B from the top to the base. Some of these lights O, it willbe seen, are mixed, being composed of half red and yellow, or half blueand green, and so on, as may be thought best. The object in mixing thecolors is to make them more attractive or distinct, so that they may beseen at a greater distance by vessels. By placing these lights of glassof dierent colors or shades on all sides of the vessel her course may beknown by crews of other vessels at a distance, whether they be situatebehind or before her, or on her sides, and collisions may thereby withcertainty be prevented, and in case of distress assistance might beobtained in a very short time by continually raising and lowering thelamp or changing the signal from one color to another.

D is the lamp, which rests on the end of a pedestal E, with which it ismade to rise and fall in the manner substantially as shown in Fig. 2.

E is a reiiector placed above the lamp (and another one may be placed onthe upper surface of the lamp) for throwing the light full upon thecolored-glass windows immediately opposite the flame in a horizontalline. There may be partitions or slides so arranged underneath and abovethe iiame that there will be no possible chance of the light being seenthrough any of the windows above or below the one opposite the light orlamp unless the lamp be lowered below the lower partition or e metslide, or raised above the upper partition, and be brought directlyopposite the window above or below the said slide.

G is a horizontal pulley supported by a standard S and having` thecourses E l N S marked out on its top surface. This pulley is seenclearly in Fig. 3. A cord H Il passes round and in the groove ofthepulley and is secured fast near the center of its length in thesa1ne,and has one of its endsl passed over the barrel K, and thenseeured to the lower part of the sliding pedestal E, and the other end Jpassed under the barrel K and secured to the upper part of thepedestalin the manner shown in Fig. 2. By moving this pulley round inone direction it will elevate the pedestal E, and by turnin` it in theopposite direct-ion the pedestal and lamp will be lowered in the mannershown in Fig-2 in dotted lines. The lamp can thus be always raised andlowered so as to bringv it always opposite the colored-glass Windows ina line with the lamp or light which indicate the yessels course.

K is a small horizontal barrel over which the oord is guided, and L Lare small pillars for sustaining and keeping the cord properly adjustedwhen in motion.

M are ventilators in the top and sides of the box B.

N is a door through which the lamp is taken from and inserted into thebox.

This apparatus can be made to answer Very well as a nightsignal forrailroads to indicate whether the switches are in their proper positionand whether there is any danger ahead by simply placing one of thesesignalboxes on the top ot' a pole and then vraising and lowering a lampfrom one color to the other to indicate danger or safety byv means of acord or ehain passing` over a pul-v ley at the top of the pole andconnected to a wiudlass on which it winds or is wound as the lamp iselevated.

.As this signal may be operated in many different ways from that shown,either by cord and pulley and rack and pinion, the., and as it can heconstructed somewhat differently from that vshownfor instance, thecolored lights may be made round or like a Circular disk, and the boxcould be niade with six,

eight, or more sides-I therefore do not confine myself to the preciseconstruction and operation described and shown.

Having thus fully described the nature and operation of myinvention, Iwill state what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

Placing the lamp on a movable pedestal E or its equivalent inside themanyhsided signal-box B and raising and lowering` the same from onecolored glassto another by means of the oord H H and pulley G or theirequivalents, the whole bein g constructed, arranged, and operating inconnection with a signal B O in the manner and for the purposessubstantially as herein described.

THOMAS il. DODGE. Witnesses;

GEO, Y. SAWYER, A. J. ROBINSON.

